Shopify: Shop Minis
Boosting user engagement through a gamified "Shop the Look" application.
Fall 2025
Product Vision
Prototyping
Engineering Alignment
Sheshu M. (Software Engineer)
Andrew C. (Software Engineer)
CONTEXT
Boosting user retention through a gamified "Shop the Look" application.
Shop Minis are full-screen, interactive, and immersive buyer experiences built into the Shop mobile app, allowing users to discover, try on, or visualize products without leaving the app.
Design
Led the core interaction flow and visual direction as a Product Designer during Shopify’s annual hackathon, shaping a concept that was later selected by Shopify to be published as a mini application on the Shop App.
Manage
Aligned design priorities with product goals throughout the hackathon and post-hackathon phases, contributing to a concept that was handpicked for development and eventual launch.
Collaborate
Partnered with a Principal Product Designer to refine product vision and roadmap, and worked closely with a Sr. Software Developer to navigate technical constraints and deliver a production-ready experience.
THE CHALLENGE
Ship an application to increase user engagement in < 24 hours
"How might we help users discover authentic and relatable outfits from real people in a way that inspires confidence and engagement?"
“As a frequent shopper, I often struggle to understand how to style certain outfits, especially when brands use models I can’t relate to.”
A SHOP APP USERMARKET RESEARCH
To create a novel experience, me and my teammates assessed where gaps in "Shop the Look" features exist in the market
I searched up for similar top platforms in the creator brand collaboration space in retail shopping platforms and found the following gaps:
TARGET AUDIENCE
Our target audience is users who are looking for inspiration and guidance on how to style their outfits
Since we were in a time crunch during our ideation, we quickly identified 6 users who are looking for inspiration and guidance on how to style their outfits are the most likely to engage with the application. They are the ones who are most likely to share their outfits with their friends and family, and the ones who are most likely to buy the products featured in the outfits.
Lack of Relatable Outfit Inspiration
"Most outfits I see are on models or influencers-I can't picture how they'd look on me."
Difficulty Styling Clothes
"I like certain pieces, but I don't know how to style them into a full outfit."
Overwhelming Content
"There's so much content online, but it's hard to find outfits that actually match my style."
Limited Recognition for Sharing Style
"I enjoy sharing my outfits, but there's no real reward or visibility for everyday users like me."
THE OPPORTUNITY
I led my team by defining the final deliverable MVP
After 6 hours of going back and forth with our ideation, we aligned on the following features:
Shop the Look
Seamless shopping experience where users can purchase entire outfits or individual items directly from creator posts.
Real Fit & Size Insights
Creators share body metrics (height, size, fit), helping users better understand how items will look on similar body types.
Leaderboard & Rewards
Gamified system where users earn visibility, recognition, and rewards for sharing outfits and engaging with the community.
Brand Collaboration
Opportunity for creators to collaborate with brands through tagged outfits, enabling exposure, partnerships, and monetization.
Style Variations
Tap on any item to explore multiple ways to style it, helping users build outfits and gain styling confidence.
DELIVERABLES
I designed the core interaction flow and visual direction for the mini application
Using the existing Shopify Design system, I worked worked on rapid prototyping the proof of concept for the developers to match the front end and visuals. Meanwhile my teammates worked on developing the backend.
Using Figma MCP, and cursor we merged the final designs to align the backend with the frontend.
Post hackathon, I continued to work on the application with a Principal UX Designer to refine the product vision and roadmap, and worked closely with a Sr. Software Developer to navigate technical constraints and deliver a production-ready experience.
SHOP THE LOOK EXPERIENCE
Explore feed to see the trending outfits
Users can explore the look, save the look or directly shop from the options available.
ALTERNATE FITS
Select between the styles for the same item
I created a new carousel for suggested items adding to the existing design system.
UPLOAD THE LOOK
Upload the item in the look
Users can upload their look and tag the item they are wearing.
IMAGE RECOGNITION
The image recognition feature highlights the products that can be tagged
User can tag multiple products when they upload their look which will be linked to the existing product list with brand on Shop App.
SEARCH
Search and explore the products and looks
Users can search for a particular item and explore outfits tagged with the item. Users can shop the look by going through the look that they relate to most and add that directly to the cart.
LEADERBOARD
Explore the leaderboard
Users can go through the leaderboard to see the trending outfits and brands, this gives more visibility and recognition for thr creators to facilitate revenue and deals.
REFLECTION
Key learnings and takeaways
Working on this 24-hour hackathon pushed me to quickly turn an idea into a tangible product while balancing user needs and technical constraints as the sole designer. After our concept was selected by Shopify, I continued refining it over the following months with a Principal UX Designer, evolving it into a production-ready solution. This experience strengthened my ability to design quickly, think strategically, and adapt from rapid ideation to real-world execution.